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She Blinked. "hmm? Oh, Don't Care. What Did Anubis Look Like To You?" "what Did... He Looked Like A Guy. So?" "a Good-looking Guy, Or A Slobbering Dog-headed Guy?" "i Guess... Not The Dog-headed Guy." "i Knew It!" Sadie Pointed At Me As If She'd Won An Argument. "good-looking. I Knew It!" And With A Ridiculous Grin, She Spun Around And Skipped Into The House. My Sister, As I May Have Mentioned, Is A Little Strange.

-Rick Riordan

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She Blinked. "hmm? Oh,

Rick Riordan

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She Blinked. "hmm? Oh, Don't Care. What Did Anubis Look Like To You?" "what Did... He Looked Like A Guy. So?" "a Good-looking Guy, Or A Slobbering Dog-headed Guy?" "i Guess... Not The Dog-headed Guy." "i Knew It!" Sadie Pointed At Me As If She'd Won An Argument. "good-looking. I Knew It!" And With A Ridiculous Grin, She Spun Around And Skipped Into The House. My Sister, As I May Have Mentioned, Is A Little Strange.

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All I Could Think To Say Was, "the Lakers Are My Home Team!

Normally My Sister, Sadie, Or Some Of Our Other Initiates From Brooklyn House Would've Come With Me. But They Were All At The First Nome, In Egypt, For A Weeklong Training Session On Controlling Cheese Demons(yes, They're A Real Thing; Believe Me, You Don't Want To Know)

Lacy Had Warned Me About Drew The First Day Of School. Apparently The Two Of Them Had Gone To Some Summer Camp Together––blah, Blah, I Didn't Really Listen To Teh Details––and Drew Had Been Just As Much A Tyrant There. ~sadie Kane, About Lacy And Drew Of Aphrodite Cabin.

Number Eight, The Silver One, Belongs To Artemis. She Vowed To Be A Maiden Forever. So Of Course, No Kids. The Cabin Is, You Know, Honorary. If She Didn't Have One, She'd Be Mad.

About The Prophecy That Rachel Did At The End Of "the Last Olympian," Percy Jackson Will Participate This Prophecy, Along With Annabeth? Sorry For Spelling Errors

Monsters,' Her Dad Said, A Tear Tracing His Cheek. 'i Live In A World Of Monsters.

You Have To Read A Lot So You Know What Good Writing Looks Like And You Get Inspired. You Have To Write A Lot Because It's Like A Sport - You Have To Practice. And, Also, You Have To Persevere. Don't Give Up. I Got Rejected On My First Book, Like, 14 Times, But I Just Kept Going. So Believe In Yourself And Don't Give Up.

There's My Baby!" I Cried, Quite Carried Away, "there's My Poochiekins!" ... "sadie," My Dad Said Firmly, "please Do Not Refer To The Devourer Of Souls As 'poochiekins'.

Husband, We Talked About This," Persephone Chided. "you Can't Go Around Incinerating Every Hero. Besides, He's Brave. I Like That." Hades Rolled His Eyes. "you Liked That Orpheus Fellow Too. Look How Well That Turned Out.

Don't Feel Bad, I'm Usually About To Die.

So You Can't Live In Manhattan?' She Asked. Amos's Brow Furrowed As He Looked Across At The Empire State Building. 'manhattan Has Other Problems. Other Gods. It's Best We Stay Separate.

Forget The Chicken-nugget Smoke Screen. Percy Wanted Leo To Invent An Anti-dream Hat.

That's Great. Except For The Fact That It's Completely Unimportant.

Are You The Cursed Kid Nemesis Mentioned?" Leo Asked. "but You're A Girl." "you're A Girl," Said The Girl. "excuse Me?

Frank Didn’t Drop You On Purpose,” She Said. “he’s Not Like That. He’s Just A Little Clumsy Sometimes.” “oops,” Leo Said, In His Best Frank Zhang Voice. “dropped Leo Into A Squad Of Enemy Soldiers. Dang It!

If You've Seen A Crab's Mouth, All Foamy And Gross With Whiskers And Snapping Bits, You Can Imagine This One Didn't Look Any Better Blown Up To Billboard Size.

Akmon Squealed With Delight. “i Knew You Were As Smart As Hercules! I Will Call You Black Bottom, The Sequel!

Remake The World, A Little At A Time, Each In Your Own Corner Of The World.

Nico Leaned Over And Plucked A Grape. Probably That Was The Guy’s Entire Diet For The Day.

Never Seen Jason Fly Before," Percy Grumbled. "he Looks Like A Blond Superman

Families Are Messy. Immortal Families Are Eternally Messy. Sometimes The Best We Can Do Is To Remind Each Other That We're Related For Better Or For Worse...and Try To Keep The Maiming And Killing To A Minimum.

What Are You Talking About?" Narcissus Demanded. "i Am Amazing. Everyone Knows This." "amazing At Pure Suck," Leo Said. "if I Was As Suck As You, I'd Drown Myself. Oh Wait, You Already Did That.

What About A Compromise? I’ll Kill Them First, And If It Turns Out They Were Friendly, I’ll Apologize.

They're Not So Bad. They Just Need Some Attention. ...like Pets. Or My Brother.

After My Bad Experience As A Kite, I Simply Refused To Go About As A Glowing Sadie-headed Chicken. That’s Fine For Carter, But I Have Standards.

Aphrodite,” [annabeth] Said. “venus?” Hazel Asked In Amazement. “mom,” Piper Said With No Enthusiasm. “girls!” The Goddess Spread Her Arms Like She Wanted A Group Hug. The Three Demigods Did Not Oblige. Hazel Backed Into A Palmetto Tree.

Um, Dues Ex Machina Anyone?

Heroes Like You Always Have A Weak Spot. We Just Have To Find It, And Then We Can Kill You. Won't That Be Lovely? Have A Cheese 'n' Wiener!

Schist," Said An Angry Voice From The Grass. Hazel Raised Her Eyebrows. "excuse Me?" "schist! Big Pile Of Schist!

One Down," Beckendorf Said. "about Five Thousand To Go." He Tossed Me A Jar Of Thick Green Liquid—greek Fire, One Of The Most Dangerous Magical Substances In The World. Then He Threw Me Another Essential Tool Of Demigod Heroes—duct Tape

Maybe Being Home Schooled, Carter Didn’t Realize That “test” Is Normally A Bad Thing.

Hello!” The Girl In The Blood-red Dress Beamed At Leo. “are You Dionysus?” There Was Only One Answer To That. “yes!” Leo Yelped. “absolutely. I Am Dionysus.

Something Inside Me Clicked, Like An Engine Shifting Into Higher Gear. My Thinking Suddenly Became Faster And Clearer. The Anger And Fear Didn't Go Away, But I Realized They Weren't Important. They Weren't Going To Help Me.

How Do I Defeat Apophis?” “i’m So Glad You Asked!” Thoth Beamed At Me With His Multicolored Eyes. “unfortunately, I Can’t Tell You.” I Glanced At Walt. “do You Want To Kill Him, Or Should I?

The Weight Of The Sky Dropped Onto Atlas's Back, Almost Smashing Him Flat Until He Managed To Get To His Knees, Struggling To Get Out From Under The Crushing Weight Of The Sky. But It Was Too Late. "noooooo!" He Bellowed So Hard It Shook The Mountain. "not Again!" Atlas Was Trapped Under His Old Burden.

I Think Anytime You're Writing To The Middle Grades, You're Writing To Young Readers Who Are Trapped In A Number Of Ways Between Two Worlds: Between Childhood And Adulthood, Between Their Friends And Their Parents.

Warning: The Following Is A Transcript Of A Digital Recording. In Certain Places, The Audio Quality Was Poor, So Some Words And Phrases Represent The Author's Best Guesses. Where Possible, Illustrations Of Important Symbols Mentioned In The Recording Have Been Added. Background Noises Such As Scuffling, Hitting, And Cursing By The Two Speakers Have Not Been Transcribed The Author Makes No Claims For The Authenticity Of The Recording. It Seems Impossible That The Two Young Narrators Are Telling The Truth, But You, The Reader, Must Decide For Yourself.

Background Noise

He Was Making A Brave Attempt, But Jason Could See The Sadness Lingering In His Eyes. Something Had Happened To Him... Something To Do With Calypso.

Why Did Adults Have To Be So Thick? They Always Say “tell The Truth,” And When You Do, They Don’t Believe You. What’s The Point?

Telling The Truth

It's Not Bad Enough I Am Exiled? It's Not Bad Enough You Take Away The Few Good Heroes I'm Allowed To Meet? You Think It's Funny To Send Me This This ― This Charbroiled Runt Of A Boy To Ruin My Tranquility? This Is Not Funny! Take Him Back!

Now-what’s Our Game Plan?” Coach Hedge Belched. He’d Already Had Three Espressos And A Plate Of Doughnuts, Along With Two Napkins And Another Flower From The Vase On The Table. He Would’ve Eaten The Silverware, Except Piper Had Slapped His Hand. “climb The Mountain,” Hedge Said. “kill Everything Except Piper’s Dad. Leave.” “thank You General Eisenhower,” Jason Grumbles.

What-what Do You Want?" Annabeth Asked, Trying To Maintain A Tone Of Confidence. The Voice Cackled Maliciously. 'to Curse You, Of Course! To Destroy You Thousand Times In The Name Of Mother Night!' "only A Thousand Times?" Percy Murmured. "oh, Good...i Thought We Were In Trouble.

Aphros Nodded, A Glint Of Pride In His Eyes. “we Have Trained All The Famous Mer-heroes! Name A Famous Mer-hero, And We Have Trained Him Or Her!” “oh, Sure,” Leo Said. “like…um, The Little Mermaid?” Aphros Frowned. “who? No! Like Triton, Glaucus, Weissmuller, And Bill!” “oh. ”leo Had No Idea Who Any Of Those People Were. “you Trained Bill? Impressive.

I Couldn't Help Thinking About My Dream, With Annabeth Crumpled And Lifeless In Luke's Arms. Here I Was Rescuing Baby Monsters, But I Couldn't Save My Friend.

What Are You?” She Demanded. “my Dad? Osiris? Are You Even Alive?” Dad Looked At Anubis. “what Did I Tell You About Her? Fiercer Than Ammit, I Said.” “you Didn’t Need To Tell Me That.” Anubis’s Face Was Grave. “i’ve Learned To Fear That Sharp Tongue.” Sadie Looked Outraged. “excuse Me?

We Got An Expression Ride Back To The Palace Of Hades. Nico Sent Word Ahead, Thanks To Some Ghost He Summoned Out Of The Ground, And Within A Few Minutes The Three Furies Themselves Arrived To Ferry Us Back. They Weren't Thrilled About Lugging Bob The Titan, Too, But I Didn't Have The Heart To Leave Him Behind, Especially After He Noticed My Shoulder Wound, Said, "owie", And Healed It With A Touch.

At First I Was Protecting You Two Because I Promised. Now Even If I Hadn't Promised, I Would. You Two Are Like Kittens To Me. I Won't Fail You Again." I'll Admit I Got A Lump In My Throat. I'd Never Been Called Someone's Kitten Before. Sadie Sniffled. She Brushed Something From Under Her Eye. "you're Not Going To Wash Us, Are You?

For A Moment, Percy Actually Remembered What It Was Like To Be Happy. He Had An Amazing Girlfriend. They Could Have A Future Together.

I Had Nightmares About What Poseidon Might Turn Me Into If I Were On The Verge Of Death-plankton Maybe." -percy Jackson

Sadie Kane Here. If You're Listening To This, Congratulations, You Survived Doomsday.

Congratulations

And It Was Pretty Much The Best Underwater Kiss Of All Time.

I Hadn't Seen My Dad Get Violent Since The Great Spatula Incident, And I Wasn't Anxious To See A Repeat Of That.

So What If They Were In Tartarus? So What If They Stood A Slim Chance Of Surviving? He Was So Glad That They Were Together, He Had The Ridiculous Urge To Smile.

All Invincible And Stuff

Weapons Are Allowed. Dirty Tricks Are Expected. But Try Not To Kill Anybody!” Tantalus Smiled At Us Like We Were All Naughty Children. “any Killing Will Result In Harsh Punishment. No S’mores At The Campfire For A Week! Now Ready Your Chariots!

You’re Probably Thinking: Wait, You Just Charged In Without A Plan? But Annabeth And I Had Been Fighting Together For Years. We Knew Each Other’s Abilities. We Could Anticipate Each Other’s Moves. I Might Have Felt Awkward And Nervous About Being Her Boyfriend, But Fighting With Her? That Came Naturally. Hmm…that Sounded Wrong. Oh, Well.

Two U.s. Marine Skeletons Guarded The Doors. They Grinned Down At Us, Rocket-propelled Grenade Launchers Held Across Their Chests. "you Know," Grover Mumbled, "i Bet Hades Doesn't Have Trouble With Door-to-door Salesman.

Humor Was A Good Way To Hide The Pain.

Mrs. O' Leary Is My Pet. I Couldn't Let You Stick A Sword In Her Rump, Now, Could I? That Might've Scared Her.

Brother Dear,” I Said, “did Your Soul Leave Your Body While Amos Was Talking, Or Did You Actually Hear Him? Egyptian Gods Real. Red Lord Bad. Red Lord’s Birthday: Very Soon, Very Bad. House Of Life: Fussy Magicians Who Hate Our Family Because Dad Was A Bit Of A Rebel, Whom You Could Take A Lesson From. Which Leaves Us—just Us—with Dad Missing, An Evil God About To Destroy The World, And An Uncle Who Just Jumped Off The Building—and I Can’t Actually Blame Him.” I Took A Breath. [yes, Carter, I Do Have To Breathe Occasionally.]

After All The Dangerous Adventures I'd Had, I Couldn't Die Like This. Sadie Would Be Devastated. Then, Once She Got Over Her Grief, She'd Track Down My Soul In The Egyptian Afterlife And Tease Me Mercilessly For How Stupid I'd Been.

I Seriously Needed An Extra-strength Magic Pillow, Because My Ba Refused To Stay Put. [and No, Sadie, I Don't Think Wrapping My Head In Duct Tape Would've Worked Either.]

[iris] Squeezed His Hand. "don't Lose Hope, Frank. Rainbows Always Stand For Hope.

One Basketball To Rule Them All,” Leo Muttered.

Die,human! Die, Silly Polluting Nasty Person!

Images Flashed Through His Mind. He Saw Nico And His Sister On A Snowy Mountain Cliff In Maine, Percy Jackson Protecting Them From The Manticore. Percy's Sword Gleamed In The Dark. He'd Been The First Demigod Nico Had Ever Seen In Action. Later At Camp Half-blood, Percy Took Nico By The Arm, Promising To Keep His Sister Bianca Safe. Nico Believed Him. Nico Looked Into His Sea-green Eyes And Though, How Can He Possibly Fail? This Is A Real Hero.

Sure, Sis!' Then He Raised His Hands In A Stop Everything Gesture. 'i Feel A Haiku Coming On.

This Is Buford,” Leo Announced. “you Name Your Furniture?” Frank Asked.

Percy Jackson And The Olympians

He Pinched The Name Tag And Ran His Fingers Under The Letters. "can You Read This, Mate? It Says C-h-a-r-o-n. Say It With Me: Care-on." "charon." "amazing! Now: Mr. Charon." "mr. Charon." "well Done.

And, Whoa!" He Turned To Mr.d. "your The Wine Dude? No Way!" Mr.d Turned Hi Eyes Away From Me And Gave Nico A Look Of Loathing. "the Wine Dude?" "dionysus, Right? Oh, Wow! I've Got Your Figurine!" "my Figurine." "in My Game, Mythomagic. And Holofoil Card, Too! And Even Though You've Only Got Like Five Hundred Attack Points And Everybody Thinks Your The Lamest God Card, I Totally Think Your Powers Are Sweet!" "ah." Mr.d Seemed Truly Perplexed, Which Probably Saved My Life. "well, That's...gratifying.

I Enjoy Writing For Both Kids And Adults, Though I Think I'm Better At Children's Stories Because I Was A Teacher For So Long, And I Know That Audience Well. The Process Is No Different Whether I'm Writing For Children Or Adults. Really, The Elements Of Making A Good Story Are The Same.

When He Pulled Away, He Smiled Kindly At Me. I Felt So Good, I'll Admit I Teared Up A Little. I Guess Until That Moment I Hadn't Allowed Myself To Realize Just How Terrified I Had Been The Last Few Days. "dad-" "shhh," He Said. "no Hero Is Above Fear, Percy. And You Have Risen Above Every Hero. Not Even Hercules-

I Had Weird Dreams Full Of Barnyard Animals. Most Of Them Wanted To Kill Me. The Rest Wanted Food.

Any Moment Now..." The Girl [calypso] Stared Out At The Water. No Magical Raft Appeared. "maybe It Got Stuck In A Traffic," Leo Said.

Annabeth:my Fatal Flaw. That's What The Sirens Showed Me. My Fatal Flaw Is Hubris. Percy: The Brown Stuff They Spread On Veggie Sandwiches? Annabeth:no, Seaweed Brain. That's Hummus. Hubris Is Worse. Percy: What Could Be Worse Than Hummus? Annabeth: Hubris Means Deadly Pride, Percy. Thinking You Can Do Things Better Than Anyone Else... Even The Gods.

That Was Hera. Her Majesty, The Loose Cannon.

Run!” Piper Said. “we Are Running!” Jason Picked Up The Speed. “run Better!” Leo Shouted.

My Modus Operandi Hasn't Really Changed That Much From When I Was An English Teacher. I Wanted My Students To Leave My Classroom Loving Reading And Wanting To Read More, And If They Left My Classroom Thinking That Reading Is Boring, Then I Haven't Done My Job.

You Began Your Journey Here As A Pup. Now You Must Find Your Way Back. A New Quest, A New Start.

Zia," I Said, "that's A Goddess. She Defeated Bast. What Chance Do You Have?" Zia Held Up Her Staff And The Carved Lion's Head Burst Into Flames - A Small Red Fireball So Bright, It Lit The Entire Room. "i Am A Scribe In The House Of Life, Sadie Kane. I Am Trained To Fight Gods.

Travis: The Aphrodite Kids Were Ripping Each Other’s Clothes And Throwing Lipstick And Jewellery. It Was Like A Rabid Herd Of Wild Bratz.

True Success Requires Sacrifice.

The Afterlife Looks Different To Every Soul," He Said, "depending On Whatthey Believe. For That Guy, Egypt Must've Made A Strong Impression When He Was Young , Maybe." "and If Someone Doesn't Believe In Any Afterlife?" I Asked. Walt Gave Me A Sad Look. "then That's What They Experience.

"something Was Wrong With Luke," Annabeth Muttered, Poking At The Fire With Her Knife. "did You Notice The Way He Was Acting?" "he Looked Pretty Pleased To Me," I Said. "like He'd Spent A Nice Day Torturing Heroes." "that's Not True! There Was Something Wrong With Him. He Looked... Nervous. He Told His Monsters To Spare Me. He Wanted To Tell Me Something." "probably, 'hi, Annabeth! Sit Here With Me And Watch While I Tear Your Friends Apart. It'll Be Fun!"

I Wondered If I Would Appear On A Temple Wall Painting Someday. A Blonde Egyptian Girl With Purple Highlights Running Sideways Through The Palm Trees, Screaming "yikes!" In Hieroglyphics As Neith Chased After Me. The Thought Of Some Poor Archaeologist Trying To Figure That Out Almost Lifted My Spirits.

Of Course, Annabeth Wouldn't Be Able To Breathe, But At The Moment, That Seemed Like A Minor Problem.

At The Rear Of The Bus, The Driver Wrenched A Big Chunk Of Smoking Metal Out Of The Engine Compartment. The Bus Shuddered, And The Engine Roared Back To Life. The Passengers Cheered. Darn Right!" Yelled The Driver. He Slapped The Bus With His Hat. "everybody Get Back On Board!

Even From Far Away, I Could See People Being Chased By Hellhounds, Burned At The Stake, Forced To Run Naked Through Cactus Patches Or Listen To Opera Music.

Dreams Like A Podcast, Downloading Truth In My Ears. They Tell Me Cool Stuff." "apollo?" I Guess, Because I Figured Nobody Else Could Make A Haiku That Bad. He Put His Finger To His Lips. "i'm Incognito. Call Me Fred." "a God Named Fred?

We Need Music," Nico Said. "how's Your Singing?" "um, No. Can't You Just, Like, Tell It To Open? You're The Son Of Hades And All." "it's Not So Easy. We Need Music." I Was Pretty Sure If I Tried To Sing, All I Would Cause Was An Avalanche.

The First Lesson Every Child Of Athena Learned: Mom Was The Best At Everything, And You Should Never, Ever Suggest Otherwise.

She Deserved At Least One Person Who Saw Her And Knew How Good She Was.

Since Percy’d Lost His Memory,his Whole Life Was One Big Fillin-the-blank. He Was____________________, From____________________. He Felt Like ____________________, And If The Monsters Caught Him, He’d Be____________________.

Tyson! Thank The Gods, Annabeth Is Hurt!" "you Thank The Gods That She Is Hurt?" He Asked, Puzzled.

How Do You Have Five Children In A Row, Each On A Different Say?” “they’re Gods,” Carter Said. “they Can Do Stuff Like That.

Everyone Thinks You've Been Kidnapped," He Said. "we've Been Scouring The Ship. When Coach Hedge Finds Out- Oh, Gods, You've Been Here All Night?" "frank!" Annabeth's Ears Were As Red As Strawberries. "we Just Came Down Here To Talk. We Fell Asleep. Accidentally. That's It." "kissed A Couple Of Times," Percy Said. Annabeth Glared At Him. "not Helping!

Reyna Sent Me To Get Percy," Frank Said. "did Octavian Accept You?" "yeah," Percy Said. "he Slaughtered My Panda.

A Weapon, I Told Horus. I Need A Weapon. I Reached Into The Duat And Pulled Out An Ostrich Feather. “really?” I Yelled. Horus Didn’t Answer

Not Inmune To Engines Huh? Boo-yah!! -leo

Who Are You?" Ethan Nakamura. I Have To Kill You." ??

Oh, God,” I Said. “sorry, Sorry. Do I Die Now?” --sadie To Zia

If I'm Going To Burn, It Might As Well Be Bright.

"bloated!" He Cried. The Corresponding Hieroglyph Flew Through The Air, Bursting Against A Demon's Chest In A Spray Of Light. Instantly, The Demon Swelled Like A Water Balloon And Rolled Screaming Down The Pyramid. "flat!" Thoth Blasted Another Demon, Who Collapsed And Shriveled Into A Monster-shaped Doormat. "intestinal Problems!" Thoth Yelled. The Poor Demon Who Got Zapped With That One Turned Green And Doubled Over.

Would Grandmother Scold Him? Would She Say, “frank! Thank The Gods, You've Come. I'm Surrounded By Monsters.” More Likely She'd Scold Him, Or Mistake Them For Intruders And Chase Them Off With A Frying Pan.

Jumping Out A Window Five Hundred Feet Above Ground Is Not Usually My Idea Of Fun. Especially When I'm Wearing Bronze Wings And Flapping My Arms Like A Duck.

For An Absurd Moment, I Wondered If Ammit Devoured The Hearts Of Wicked Cows, And If He Liked The Beefy Taste. - Carter Kane

What Exactly Did You Find In Atlanta?” Frank Unzipped His Backpack And Started Bringing Out Souvenirs. “some Peach Preserves. A Couple Of T-shirts. A Snow Globe. And, Um, These Not-really-chinese Handcuffs.” Annabeth Forced Herself To Stay Calm. “how About You Start From The Top—of The Story, Not The Backpack.

My Name Is Zia Rashid.” She Tilted Her Head As If Listening. Right On Cue, The Entire Building Rumbled. Dust Sprinkled From The Ceiling, And The Slithering Sounds Of Scorpion Doubled In Volume Behind Us. “and Right Now,” Zia Continued, Sounding A Bit Disappointed, “i Must Save Your Miserable Lives.

You Might As Well Ask An Artist To Explain His Art, Or Ask A Poet To Explain His Poem. It Defeats The Purpose. The Meaning Is Only Clear Thorough The Search.

Stuff Has Become The Enemy. There Always Seems To Be More Of It Than I Have Storage In My House!

I Smiled At The Giant. “actually, Cacus, I Have Another Secret Weapon.” The Giant’s Eyes Lit Up With Greed. “another Weapon? I Will Steal It! I Will Copy It And Sell The Knockoffs For A Profit! What Is This Secret Weapon?” “her Name Is Annabeth,” I Said. “and She’s One Of A Kind.

A Telkhine Was Hunched Over A Console, But He Was So Involved With His Work, He Didn't Notice Us. He Was About Five Feet Tall, With Slick Black Seal Fur And Stubby Little Feet. He Had The Head Of A Doberman, But His Clawed Hands Were Almost Human. He Growled And Muttered As He Tapped On His Keyboard. Maybe He Was Messaging His Friends On Uglyface.com.

A Battle Can Be Won Before It's Ever Fought By Choosing The Right Ground.

Annabeth Laced Her Fingers Through His. In The Light Of His Bronze Sword, Her Face Was Beautiful. 'we're Together,' She Reminded Him. 'we'll Get Through This.

He Had A Crush On A Blueberry Bush Once.

Oh, Did You Expect Me To Play Fair?" Cupid Laughed. "i Am The God Of Love. I Am Never Fair.

“there’s My Baby!” I Cried, Quite Carried Away. “there’s My Poochiekins!” Ammit Ran At Me And Leaped Into My Arms, Nuzzling Me With His Rough Snout. “my Lord Osiris!” Disturber Lost The Bottom Of His Scroll Again, Which Unraveled Around His Legs. “this Is An Outrage!” “sadie,” Dad Said Firmly, “please Do Not Refer To The Devourer Of Souls As Poochiekins.”

That’s Right, Sadie. For Our First Real Date, I Picked Up Zia In A Boat Pulled By A Deranged Griffin. So What? Like Your Dates Aren’t Weird?

The Best People Have The Rottenest Luck

Leo Had Wanted To Paint A Giant Message On The Bottom Of The Hull-wassup? With A Smiley-face-but Annabeth Had Vetoed The Idea.

Dancing?' Annabeth Asked. Thalia Nodded. She Cocked Her Ear To The Music And Made A Face. 'ugh. Who Chose Jesse Mccartney?' Grover Looked Hurt. 'i Did.

Nico Drank From The Chalice, Then Offered It To Jason. "you Asked Me About Trust, And Taking A Risk? Well, Here You Go, Son Of Jupiter. How Much Do You Trust Me?" Frank Wasn't Sure What Nico Was Talking About, But Jason Didn't Hesitate. He Took The Cup And Drank.

You're A Demigod Percy, Half God And Half Mortal!

I'm Just A Kid, Chiron," I Said Miserably. "what Good Is One Lousy Hero Against Something Like Kronos?" Chiron Managed A Smile. '"what Good Is One Lousy Hero'? Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain Said Something Like That To Me Once, Just Before He Single-handedly Changed The Course Of Your Civil War.

Hello George. Hey Martha (percy) Did You Bring Us A Rat? (george) George, Stop It!he's Busy! (martha) Too Busy For Rats? That's Just Sad. (george)

Whathat!" Tyson Gasped. "those Are The Stables For The Pegasi," I Replied, "you Know, Winged Horses?" "whasthat!" "um... Those Are The Toilets.

As We Rose Over The Rooftops I Caught My Breath-well, If You Can Catch Your Breath Underwater.

You Set Us Up!” “no! I Swear—” Her Face Fell. “mel. Mel Must’ve Told Him.” “right,” I Grumbled. “blame Mel.

Despicable Creatures, Vultures: Without A Doubt The Most Disgusting Birds Ever. I Suppose They Served Their Purpose, But Did They Have To Be So Greasy And Ugly? Couldn't We Have Cute Fuzzy Rabbits That Cleaned Up Roadkill Instead?

Chiron Insisted That We Talk About The Labyrinth In The Morning Which Is Like 'hey, Your Life's In Mortal Danger. Sleep Tight!

May The Gods Be With You

God Is With You

There’s Nothing Here,” Carter Said. “what Do You Want?” I Asked. “we’ve Got Wax, Some Toilet Papyrus, An Ugly Statue.

He [nico] Regarded Jason, As If Waiting For An Attack. 'if The Others Found Out-' 'if The Others Found Out,' Jason Said, 'you'd Have That Many More People To Back You Up, And To Unleash The Fury Of The Gods On Anybody Who Gives You Trouble.

Tell You What," I Said. "after The Testing After The Demon Days, When Things Settle Down -" "things Won't Settle Down." "- I'm Going To Take You To The Mall." She Blinked. "the Mall? For What Reason?" "to Hang Out," I Said. "we'll Get Some Hamburgers. See A Movie." Zia Hesitated. "is This What You'd Call A 'date'?" My Expression Must Have Been Priceless, Because Zia Actually Cracked A Smile. "you Look Like A Cow Hit With A Shovel.

Piper To Drew: P: In Case Youthink Im Not A True Daughter Of Aphrodite Dont Even Look At Jason Grace. He May Not Know It Yet But He’s Mine. If You Even Try To Make A Move, I Will Load You Into A Catapult And Shoot You Across Long Island Sound.

Quintus..." Geryon Mused. "short Gray Hair, Muscular, Swordsman?" "yeah." "never Heard Of Him.

Swords Can’t Solve Every Problem.

Wha-what?" Her Eyes Fluttered Open. "nothing," I Shouted. "we're Being Followed By A Slaying Machine. Go Back To Sleep.

The Next Microsecond, As The Water Erupted Around Me, I Realized Too Late That I Should've Brought The Entire Twenty-first Nome To Help Me.

Wonderful, Annabeth Thought. Her Own Mother, The Most Levelheaded Olympian, Was Reduced To A Raving, Vicious Scatterbrain In A Subway Station. And, Of All The Gods Who Might Help Them, The Only Ones Not Affected By The Greek-roman Schism Seemed To Be Aphrodite, Nemesis And Dionysus. Love, Revenge, Wine. Very Helpful.

Freak Is Easily Spooked. Flesh-eating Monsters Tend To Scare Him Away. So Do Fireworks, Clowns, And The Smell Of Sadie's Weird British Ribena Drink. (can't Blame Him On That Last One. Sadie Grew Up In London And Developed Some Pretty Strange Tastes.

There Will Be Guards,” Bast Said. “and Traps. And Alarms. You Can Bet The House Is Heavily Charmed To Keep Out Gods.” “magicians Can Do That?” I Asked. I Imagined A Big Can Of Pesticide Labeled God-away.

Until She Met The Exploding Statue, Annabeth Thought She Was Prepared For Anything.

Just Because I'm Native American Doesn't Mean I Can Track Furniture Through The Wilderness." She Deepened Her Voice: "'yes, Kemosabe. A Three-legged Table Passed This Way An Hour Ago.' Heck, I Don’t Know.

Native American

Marvelous,” She Said. “tell Me About This Tapestry.” Arachne’s Lips Curled Over Her Mandibles. “why Do You Care? You're About To Die.” “well, Yes,” Annabeth Said. “but The Way You Captured The Light Is Amazing. Did You Use Real Gold Thread For The Sunbeams?

The Cafe Windows Wrapped All The Way Around The Observation Floor, Which Gave Us A Beautiful Panoramic View Of The Skeleton Army That Had Come To Kill Us.

You Both Passed Out,” Percy Said. “i Don’t Know Why, But Ella Told Me Not To Worry About It. She Said You Were…sharing?” “sharing,” Ella Agreed. She Crouched In The Stern, Preening Her Wing Feathers With Her Teeth, Which Didn’t Look Like A Very Effective Form Of Personal Hygiene. She Spit Out Some Red Fluff. “sharing Is Good. No More Blackouts. Biggest American Blackout, August 14, 2003. Hazel Shared. No More Blackouts.” Percy Scratched His Head. “yeah…we’ve Been Having Conversations Like That All Night. I Still Don’t Know What She’s Talking About.

I Will Call Him Small Bob," Said Bob. "he Is A Good Monster." End Of Discussion.the Titan Hefted His Spear And They Continued Marching Into The Gloom.

Genius Does Not Excuse Evil.

I Think The More You Understand Myths, The More You Understand The Roots Of Our Culture And The More Things Will Resonate. Do You Have To Know Them? No, But Certainly It Is Nice To Recognise How Deeply These Things Are Embedded In Our Literature, Our Art.

They Both (thalia And Hera) Glared At Her, And For Three Long Seconds, Piper Wasn’t Sure Which One Of Them Was Going To Kill Her First.

I Must Admit I’m Impressed, Sadie. You Controlled Your Magic And Controlled Isis. And You, Carter, Did Well Turning Into A Lizard.

No Hero Is Above Fear.

Nico's Voice Was Like Broken Glass. "i- I Wasn't In Love With Annabeth." "you Were Jealous Of Her," Jason Said. "that's Why You Didn't Want To Be Around Her. Especially Why You Don't Want To Be Around... Him. It Makes Total Sense.

The Future For Commander Tool Belt Was Not Looking So Hot.

Leo Waited While The Fish Centaur Put Away His Supplies. Aphros's Lobster-claw Horns Kept Swimming Around In His Thick Hair, And Leo Had To Resist The Urge To Try And Rescue Them.

Amy Gritted Her Teeth. "king Louis Xvi Even Put Franklin's Picture On A Chamber Pot!" Jonah Looked At His Dad. "do We Have Souvenir Chamber Pots?" "no." His Dad Whipped Out His Phone. "i'll Make The Call.

Amos Sipped His Coffee. The Faraway Look On His Face Reminded Me Of My Dad. “i Don’t Want To Scare You.” “too Late.

So, Great. This Is Camp…what Do You Call It? Camp Fish-blood?” Aphros Frowned. “i Hope That Was A Joke. This Is Camp __________.” He Made A Sound That Was A Series Of Sonar Pings And Hisses.

Just Sit Tight. Reinforcements Should Be Here Soon. Hopefully Nothing Happens Before-" Lightning Crackled Overhead. The Wind Picked Up With A Vengeance. Worksheets Flew Into The Grand Canyon, And The Entire Bridge Shuddered. Kids Screamed, Stumbling And Grabbing The Rails. "i Had To Say Something," Hedge Grumbled. He Bellowed Into His Megaphone: "everyone Inside! The Cow Says Moo! Off The Skywalk!" "i Thought You Said This Thing Was Stable!" Jason Shouted Over The Wind. "under Normal Circumstances," Hedge Agreed, "which These Aren't.

For Once, I Didn't Look Back.

Oh, Don't Mind Me! Just The Queen Of The Heavens, Dying Over Here!

As For Me, I Did The Stupidest Thing In My Life, Which Is Saying A Lot. I Attacked The Titan Lord Atlas.

Stars," She Whispered. "i Can See The Stars Again, My Lady." A Tear Trickled Down Artemis's Cheek. "yes, My Brave One. They Are Beautiful Tonight." Stars," Zoe Repeated. Her Eyes Fixed On The Night Sky. And She Did Not Move Again.

Thalia's Shoulders Relaxed. "i Owe You One." "two." "one And A Half," Thalia Said. She Smiled, And For A Second, I Remembered That I Actually Liked Her When She Wasn't Yelling At Me.

The Eidolons Started Pounding On The Door. 'who Is It?' Leo Called. 'valdez!' 'valdez Who?

I'm Not Usually An Eavesdropper,but I Dare You To Try Not Listening If You Hear Your Best Friend Talking About You To An Adult.

This Is Graceland. Home Of The Most Famous Musician In The World.” “michael Jackson Lived Here?” “no, Dummy,” Carter Said. “elvis Presley.

You Dropped This," He Said, Totally Poker-faced.

Right,” I Said. “so The Baboon, The Crocodile…any Other Pets I Should Know About?” Amos Thought For A Moment. “visible Ones? No, I Think That’s It.

But... You're Still Getting Married?" Grover Sounded Hurt. "who's The Bride?" Ploypemus Looked Toward The Boiling Pot. Clarisse Made A Strangled Sound. "oh, No! You Can't Be Serious. I'm Not-

Apollo?” I Guessed… He Put A Finger To His Lips. “i’m Incognito. Call Me Fred.” A God Named Fred?

You Weren't Able To Talk Sense Into Him?" Well, We Kind Of Tried To Kill Each Other In A Duel To The Death." I See. You Tried The Diplomatic Approach.

Can You Surf Really Well, Then?" I Looked At Grover, Who Was Trying Hard Not To Laugh. "jeez, Nico," I Said. "i've Never Really Tried." He Went On Asking Questions. Did I Fight A Lot With Thalia, Since She Was A Daughter Of Zeus? (i Didn't Answer That One.) If Annabeth's Mother Was Athena, The Goddess Of Wisdom, Then Why Didn't Annabeth Know Better Than To Fall Off A Cliff? (i Tried Not To Strangle Nico For Asking That One.) Was Annabeth My Girlfriend? (at This Point, I Was Ready To Stick The Kid In A Meat-flavored Sack And Throw Him To The Wolves.)

Pizza! Hockey! Destroy!" -cal

I'll Let You And Zia Have Some Quality Time," She Told Me. "just The Two Of You And Your Coat.

But Remember, Boy, That A Kind Act Can Sometimes Be As Powerful As A Sword. As A Mortal, I Was Never A Great Fighter Or Athlete Or Poet. I Only Made Wine. The People In My Village Laughed At Me. They Said I Would Never Amount To Anything. Look At Me Now. Sometimes Small Things Can Become Very Large Indeed.

Cheers, Carter. At Least You Have The Sense To Hand Me The Microphone For Important Things. Honestly, He Drones On And On About His Plans For The Apocalypse, But He Makes No Plans At All For The School Dance. My Brother's Priorities Are Severely Skewed.

We’ve Arrived,” Leo Announced. “time To Split.” Frank Groaned. “can We Leave Valdez In Croatia?

Don't Die On Me," She Ordered. "you Are Not Dying On Me." "yes, Ma'am." He Felt Light-headed, But She Was About The Most Beautiful Thing He'd Ever Seen. Her Hair Was Smoldering. Her Face Was Smudged With Soot. She Had A Cut On Her Arm, Her Dress Was Torn, And She Was Missing A Boot. Beautiful.

What If It Lines Up Like It Did In The Trojan War ... Athena Versus Poseidon?" "i Don't Know. But I Just Know That I'll Be Fighting Next To You." "why?" "because You're My Friend, Seaweed Brain. Any More Stupid Questions?

I Realized That Anyone Who Dared To Hurt Me Would Suffer His Full Wrath, And Walt Wasn’t Going To Hold Him Back.

A Legacy That Powerful Does Not Disappear. Next To The Egyptians, The Greeks And Romans Were Babies. Our Modern Nations Like Great Britain And America? Blinks Of An Eye...the Very Oldest Root Of Civilization, At Least Of Western Civilization, Is Egypt. Look At The Pyramid On The Dollar Bill. Look At The Washington Monument—the World’s Largest Egyptian Obelisk. Egypt Is Still.......very Much Alive.

I'm Not Good With Children," The God Confessed. "or People. Well, Any Organic Life Forms, Really.

The Friday Before Winter Break, My Mom Packed Me An Overnight Bag And A Few Deadly Weapons And Took Me To A New Boarding School.

Ella Is Nervous,” The Harpy Muttered From Her Perch On The Railing. “the Elephant. The Elephant Is Watching Ella.

I Was Glad To Be With Her, But It Also Kind Of Hurt, And It Hurt When I Wasn't With Her, Too.

She Reached Into Her Coat Pocket And Felt Two Things She Hadn't Expected.... One Was A Wad Of Cash... She Brought Out The Money. Leo Whistled. "allowance? Piper, Your Mom Rocks!

So You've Got No Name?" I Asked. "they Couldn't Think Of One Ugly Enough?" The Creature Snarled, Stepping Over The Unconscious Policeman. "set Animal Is Too Hard To Say," I Decided. "i'll Call You Leroy." Apparently, Leroy Didn't Like His Name. He Lunged.

The Sea Does Not Like To Be Restrained.

In The Duat, Anubis Looked As He Always Had, With His Tousled Dark Hair And Lovely Brown Eyes, But I’d Never Seen Him Filled With Such Rage. I Realized That Anyone Who Dared To Hurt Me Would Suffer His Full Wrath, And Walt Wasn’t Going To Hold Him Back.

Leo. Jason Said, You're Wierd. Yeah, You Tell Me That A Lot. Leo Grinned. But If You Don't Remember Me, That Means I Can Reuse All My Old Jokes. Come On!

Whasthat!" "um ... Those Are The Toilets.

But Who Are You?" Percy—" I Started To Say. Then The Skeletons Turned Around. "gotta Go!" What Kind Of Name Is Percy Gotta-go?

Twelve Minutes. I Can Give You That.

A Styrofoam Egg Carton Caught His Eye. He Opened It And Found A Single Silver Orb With Little Blinking Red Lights. "this Is Cool, Too!" He Dropped It Into His Backpack. "dan, No!" "what? They've Got Plenty Of Other Stuff, And We Need All The Help We Can Get!" "it Could Be Dangerous." "i Hope So.

Percy Yelled. "what's Going- Gah! Shrimpzilla!

When Luke Had Descended Into The River Styx, He Would've Had To Focus On Something Important That Would Hold Him To His Mortal Life. Otherwise He Would've Dissolved. I Had Seen Annabeth, And I Had A Feeling He Had Too. He Had Pictured That Scene Hestia Showed Me—of Himself In The Good Old Days With Thalia And Annabeth, When He Promised They Would Be A Family. Hurting Annabeth In Battle Had Shocked Him Into Remembering That Promise. It Had Allowed His Mortal Conscience To Take Over Again, And Defeat Kronos. His Weak Spot—his Achilles Heel—had Saved Us All

I'm So Glad You're Here," Aphrodite Said. "war Is Coming. Bloodshed Is Inevitable. So There's Really Only One Thing To Do." "uh... And That Is?" Annabeth Ventured. "why, Have Tea And Chat, Obviously

Travis: I Didn’t Know They Made Permanent Makeup. I Looked Like A Clown For A Month. Connor: Yeah. They Put A Curse On Me So That No Matter What I Wore, My Clothes Were Two Sizes Too Small And I Felt Like A Geek. Travis: You Are A Geek.

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